Explore Everyday Health

Comfort Food Gets Healthy!

Good Food Done Well

They call it comfort food for a reason — you feel good when you eat the foods you love! Unfortunately, a lot of those dishes are packed full of calories, fat, and cholesterol. Rather than giving up your favorite recipes, try making healthy substitutions — you'll maintain the flavor and a healthy diet.

Peach Cobbler

Fruit cobblers are a great dessert. The secret to keeping calories and cholesterol low is in how you prepare the batter — only a little margarine is necessary, and you'll never miss the eliminated sugar with sweet peaches to fill the void.

Breaded Pork Chops

If you oven-bake pork chops, they're better for you, right? That depends on how you make them. Spice up plain bread crumbs with salt-free seasonings like garlic powder and paprika, and dip the chops in an egg white–milk mixture before dredging them in the bread crumbs. Less salt, less fat — but just as good!

BBQ Chicken

Barbecued chicken can be made year-round — either on the grill or under the broiler. Some recipes call for oil, while others call for salty condiments, but you can create a tangy marinade without adding fat or sodium. Our recipe is simple but results in savory, succulent chicken.

Banana Nut Bread

Even though it's made with vitamin-rich bananas and protein-packed nuts, a slice of banana nut bread can still have close to 300 calories and 12 grams of fat. Scaling back on sugar, using margarine instead of shortening, and cutting the number of eggs to one will yield a flavorful loaf with less saturated fat and cholesterol and fewer calories.

Candied Yams

Yams — or sweet potatoes — have a naturally sweet, rich taste. Whether for Sunday dinner or a big holiday feast, candied yams can be made into an all-around healthier dish by using margarine instead of butter and trading in sugar for a splash of orange juice.

Macaroni & Cheese

A great way to reduce the calories and fat in this classic dish is to use lower-fat dairy products and ditch the cholesterol-rich butter. Adding onion and black pepper will give this Mac & Cheese even more flavor!

French Fries

Baking fries in the oven instead of frying them in oil significantly reduces fat and calories. Instead of consuming 500+ calories, you can savor a serving of fries for fewer than 250. Use salt-free spices to give your fries a real kick!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

It's easy to get carried away when adding butter and salt to plain potatoes — which is also an easy way to ratchet up your fat, cholesterol, and sodium intake! Instead, use fat-free milk and fresh garlic to make savory, creamy mashed potatoes.

Scrumptious Meat Loaf

This meat loaf includes tomato paste instead of steak sauce or ketchup, and a zesty blend of seasonings and vegetables helps you lower the sodium content. Extra-lean beef will bring down cholesterol and fat levels, too.

Smothered Greens

Using salt pork, ham hocks, or fatty chicken stock when simmering mustard or collard greens can add up to sky-high sodium, fat, and cholesterol levels. Using a smoked turkey breast with a powerful combination of seasonings will make this side dish just as tasty but much friendlier to your health!